


day four: alternate timelines

by Hannah (hannahoftheinternet)



Series: HartmonFest 2019 [4]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming Out, Fix-It, Hartmon Fest 2019, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Hartley Rathaway, POV Third Person, Present Tense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 22:04:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17875694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahoftheinternet/pseuds/Hannah
Summary: "They’re cuddling on the couch in Hartley’s movie room (being rich has its perks. Actually, it’s mostly perks) when Cisco goes dead still. Something’s wrong still."





	day four: alternate timelines

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings for bad experiences with coming out because shocker

They’re cuddling on the couch in Hartley’s movie room (being rich has its perks. Actually, it’s mostly perks) when Cisco goes dead still. Something’s wrong still. It’s too dark to see if he’s spaced out, but Hartley knows the signs. He pauses the movie, freezing Mark Hamill’s face on the screen, and very gently touches Cisco’s shoulder. 

“Cisco,” he stage-whispers. He can feel it against his body when Cisco heaves a long, stuttering breath. “Hey. You good?”

“Yeah,” is all Cisco says, but he pulls Hartley closer and rests his face against his shoulder. Something is doubly wrong, then. Cisco almost always tells him about his vibes. “Play the movie, Hart.”

“ _ Mi rey _ \--” Hartley begins, but Cisco cuts him off with a “please?”

Hartley isn’t ready to give up just yet, because Cisco is clearly upset and he wants to know why. “Did you vibe me?”

“Yes.” Cisco’s voice is muffled. “I vibed you and it was shit. Please play the movie.” He sounds so sad that Hartley presses play and lets Luke Skywalker keep piloting his starfighter without argument. The subject doesn’t come up again until the credits start rolling and Hartley’s phone rings.

“My mom,” he tells Cisco, pausing the movie again and answering the phone. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hello, darling,” his mother says brightly. “I’m just calling to check up on you. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

Hartley smiles and wraps an arm around Cisco’s shoulders, pulling him in closer. “You have great timing; we just finished our movie. How’s Dad? How’s Berlin?”

“Oh, is it date night? I’ll leave you two be, then, and call tomorrow. You father is great. Berlin is great. You can hear all about it tomorrow.”

They say their goodbyes, and that’s it. Hartley drops a kiss on Cisco’s head. “Another movie or bed,  _ mi rey _ ?”

“I vibed you,” Cisco says instead. “Not you-you. Another timeline-you.” Hartley very tactfully squeezes his hand and stays quiet. “You and your parents were eating dinner together. Same place where you introduced me to them. And you said, ‘I have something to tell you.’”

A lump forms in Hartley’s throat, and a knot in his stomach. He knows that scene, lived that scene, and he’s smart enough to guess why Cisco is so upset.

“And you told them you were gay,” Cisco continues, his nails digging into Hartley’s hand. “You dad just looked at you and said ‘No, you aren’t--” his voice cracks-- “and you started to argue, so your dad stuck a steak knife in the table and told you that you weren’t his son. God, Hart, you looked so sad.”

Right out of a nightmare.

Hartley fishes for the right words. “Cisco,” he says eventually, “that wasn’t me. Not  _ your _ me. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“I know,” says Cisco. “It just hurt to see you sad. Even if you weren’t  _ my _ you.” He smiles a little at that, and Hartley kisses him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,  _ mi rey _ ,” Hartley tells him.

**Author's Note:**

> I relate to Hartley because we both had bad experiences with coming out, so I wrote a fix-it for him. "Mi rey" is a Spanish term of endearment meaning "my king." (Foreign language pet names are my jam.)
> 
> Comments are a writer's best friend!


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